20 March 2007

20th March 2007

5:25 PM — The first website solely designed to help employees and employers fight discrimination in the workplace has been launched today.Discriminationonline.com is a website run by Brabners Chaffe, specialists in discrimination law.It contains useful information for anyone who thinks they are being discriminated against.

5:25 PM — Russia's Orthodox Church announced today that it is opposed to the planned Moscow gay Pride parade, as it believes homosexuality is harmful to society.Gay activists plan to hold the parade on the 14th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Russia.Representatives of Russian Muslims and Jews joined the calls for a ban on the parade.

3:56 PM — Catholic organisations in Italy have announced that May 12 will be "Family Day", featuring a demonstration in Rome against legislation which will could give legal rights to civil unions.The planned civil unions will be both for heterosexual and homosexual couples, a proposal that has outraged the Catholic Church.The Family Day manifesto does not specifically mention the laws, but focuses on calls for legislation promoting more traditional families.

3:25 PM — One of the world's largest financial services companies has told law firms it uses to bring their policies on gay and lesbian staff up to standard.JP Morgan has invited 15 external law firms to attend a meeting with Stonewall next month to learn about best practice towards homosexual and bisexual staff.The company's assistant general counsel and managing director Tim Hailes told The Lawyer: "The firms' commitment to this agenda will be a relevant factor."

2:18 PM — An offensive video created by an unnamed Christian group denouncing the new Sexual Orientation Regulations is circulating on YouTube.The footage shows a primary school teacher reading about homosexuality to a group of small children.It comes with a warning that nobody aged under 18 should view it.

12:39 PM — When PinkNews.co.uk spoke to Sir Menzies Campbell at his office in the Palace of Westminster earlier this month, the Liberal Democrat leader discussed his values and attitudes towards gay rights, and how British society has changed since the days of Ted Heath and Jeremy Thorpe. It is just over a year since Sir Menzies Campbell won the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.

12:09 PM — Supporters of gay marriage in America have been outraged by the tide turning against their cause, even amongst other gay rights advocates.Bills to legalise gay marriage have been introduced in the state of Rhode Island every year for the past ten years, and have been rejected every time.So this year, as well as filing for the legalisation of gay marriage, campaigners are fighting for basic rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples.

12:03 PM — Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has accused Tony Blair of abusing Parliament by not allowing MPs more time to debate the Sexual Orientation Regulations.A proposed opt-out for Roman Catholic-run adoption services caused a Cabinet row earlier this year.The head of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales said that adoption agencies will close rather than comply with new rules outlawing discrimination.

11:33 AM — An attempt to block legislation that will protect gay people from discrimination has failed.Tory MPs in the House of Commons forced a vote on the Sexual Orientation Regulations yesterday. However, the regulations passed by 310 votes to 100.29 Tory MPs voted in favour of the regulations, among them party leader David Cameron and gay MPs Nick Herbert and Alan Duncan.

10:57 AM — The Green Party in Brighton is calling on the city's council to improve anti-homophobia training for headteachers.The party says that the council has a responsibility to protect LGBT education workers."Thanks to a EU directive, workers in the UK now enjoy protection from homophobic and transphobic discrimination and harassment," says Nigel Tart, Chair of the Green Party LGBT group.

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